


Wait For Me

by AliciasClarke (fyeahgila)



Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: AU in which Thomas lives, Blood and Gore, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-09 06:59:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6894700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fyeahgila/pseuds/AliciasClarke
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Under different circumstances Victor would have laughed, because this comment was so much like Tom. But under different circumstances they probably wouldn’t even be doing this. Under different circumstances, this never would have happened. He definitely shouldn’t have left Mexico…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Too Late?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> I know that I have at least two other fanfics that I haven't been updating in months, and actually I got a thesis to write, but I just couldn't stand all these wasted opportunities that came with Thomas' death. There could have been so much more, so many great things to explore, but Strandigail and we as the viewers were robbed of that, so I just had to try and make a contribution to somehow making things better...I hope you like it! Enjoy reading :) 
> 
> P.S. I'm sorry that the chapter is only so short, but there's more to come!   
> Also the titel of this work was inspired by the song "Wait for me" by Moby that's on the soundtrack of season 1 of FTWD...and well, also because Thomas waited for Strand... *starts sobbing*

He should never have left Mexico. Then probably none of this would ever have happened. He wouldn’t have been stuck in this quarantine camp in L.A. for days, he wouldn’t have met Nick there and he would never have had to bring all of his people along onto the Abigail and face all the troubles the ocean had to offer these days. Then he wouldn’t have almost drowned and Luís would still be with them now…

If he never left Baja in the first place, he wouldn’t have had to come back to this. To what was left of this beautiful place that always seemed like a little isle of peace and happiness in an otherwise harsh world. It would have been a perfectly safe haven, a salvation from what the world had turned into since the infection spread. He literally couldn’t think of any other place where people could hide out being protected like that. 

But it had been ruined from the inside. Walkers couldn’t run over these walls, they never would have had a chance to get in, the Baja house probably would have been one of the safest places left in the whole area. Obviously it hadn’t been prepared for the menace to come from within, though. 

As they arrived in the truck that Thomas had left for them at the chapel, Strand noticed right away that something was off, not like it was supposed to be. There was an eerie feeling in the air and as they drove up closer to the main house, they didn’t spot a single soul around, although there should have been gardeners, farmers, or at least some of the employees’ kids playing outside as they always used to. But no one was around and on first sight, the place looked like it might have been abandoned. 

When there was neither Celia, nor Thomas to greet them as he’d expected them to, as he’d imagined them to, Victor’s heart started to weigh even heavier in his chest. Something was awfully wrong here. 

“Something’s off”, he just offered as an explanation to his companions in case they hadn’t realized themselves by now. It were the first words he’d lost since they fought off the walkers in front of the chapel. Without any more notice, he jumped out of the car and grabbed one of the guns, already on his way to the main entrance. 

“What’s going on? What are you doing?” Travis wanted to know in a hushed voice and tried to keep pace with Strand. 

“I don’t know”, Victor gave back matter-of-factly. He didn’t care if the others followed him, but probably it was better they didn’t. “It’s not safe”, he just added, with a last look back, before he finally entered the well-known building. 

It definitely wasn’t the homecoming he’d hoped for, actually it was as far from that as it could be. There was fighting going on in the entrance hall at the staircase to the cellars. More than a dozen infected stumbled about, trying to attack the three living who were still struggling for their lives. Another handful of walkers was hunched over some torn apart body, or bodies, he honestly couldn’t tell how many it were and actually he didn’t even want to know. These were people he used to know… Blood was splashed all around, seeping into the thick carpets. Some more walkers were just lying on the ground, motionless by now. 

“Thomas!” Strand shouted as he spotted him trying to keep away two monsters at once and he didn’t even hesitate for another split second before he bolted over there to fight at the side of the man he’d tried to come back to so badly for the past several days. 

“Better late than never”, was all Thomas could get out, but not without a slight grin while he was driving a kitchen knife into a walker’s eye socket. Under different circumstances Victor would have laughed, because this comment was so much like Tom. But under different circumstances they probably wouldn’t even be doing this. Under different circumstances, this never would have happened. He definitely shouldn’t have left Mexico…

Daniel and Travis joined them a moment later and together with the two farmers who’d stood their ground with Thomas before they arrived here, they actually managed to end the remaining monsters rather quickly. None was left now, but one of the farmers closed and sealed the door that lead to the cellars anyway, just in case. 

Strand let his knife fall onto the blood-soaked floor as soon as everything was clear and spun around to his beloved to finally embrace him into a tight hug. This was rather how he’d imagined them to meet again, less the dead bodies and the gore around, obviously. 

“Are you alright?” he wanted to know then, taking Tom’s face into his hands, eyeing him carefully. 

He couldn’t care less for everyone around, the only one who truly mattered, now was right there in front of him. There was mostly relief in his features but when Thomas didn’t reply and just brought up a hand to gently lay over the one Strand had cupped his cheek with, the sudden sadness and fear in his eyes gave him away. He let go of him and pulled away a few inches, just to extend his bare right forearm to show him the bloody bite. 

“No”, Strand simply said, like he didn’t want to endure it. Like he didn’t want to believe it. Like it wasn’t real. 

He felt sick, like someone had punched him right in the guts with full force and he sensed how his eyes started to burn. All he could do was stand there, frozen, not able to move and he just kept on staring at the wound on his lover’s arm, not capable of forming words. 

He was too late. He’d been too late. If only for some minutes, but he’d come too late. If they’d been here earlier, he could have helped fighting the walkers sooner, it wouldn’t have happened then. Thomas and the farmers wouldn’t have been the last ones standing, they could have saved more people…

Now it all was too late, because they hadn’t only lost some people they knew…no, he’d lose him as well. Everything he did to get here, everything he had to do, every sacrifice they made on the way, everyone they had left behind, it all didn’t matter now, because Thomas was bit and he’d lose him. He’d found a way back to him, just to get him snatched away like this…

“We have to amputate his arm”, Daniel said and by doing so, finally ripped Strand out of his stupor. 

“You want what?” he and Travis asked almost simultaneously, both sounding incredulous. 

“We have to stop the infection from spreading and we have to do so fast”, the older man explained like it was the most reasonable solution in the world.


	2. No Time For Pleasantries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's reading this story, I know the Strandigail fandom isn't very big, so every click and like just means that much more to me. Also special shout out to Cupping_Cakes for the comment :)  
> I'm sorry that this chapter also got quite short, it's pretty tough writing an academical thesis and fanfiction at the same time because the writing style is so different, but I still hope that you enjoy it!

“I think Daniel’s right”, Madison said now. “We should just take off the arm”

She’d appeared with the kids on her heels without Strand even taking notice of them all. His whole focus was on Thomas who was standing there in his own home, looking utterly lost among all these people he only knew from what Strand had told him about them on the satellite phone. But above all, he obviously seemed to be scared and this was something Victor could understand perfectly well, because he was feeling just the same. He felt miserable, like crying, but instead of doing so, he bucked up and took a step closer towards Thomas in reassurance. 

“It’s okay”, he tried easing him in a low voice for only him to hear and squeezed his healthy arm fondly. “You’ll be okay”, he meant, nodding as if to underline this statement, or to make it more believable, not just to calm his partner down, but also himself. 

“It’s the only way to stop the infection from spreading into his whole body”, Daniel stated. “When I was in the army, fighting in the war, some of the lads would get wounds that couldn’t be accurately treated, so they got infected… and amputating a limb is better than losing your life” he told them. 

“Well, then…let’s do it”, Thomas determined, although it was inarguably the only thing they could do now. So nobody argued or even tried to make another suggestion. It also wasn’t theirs to make, though. 

They didn't lose any time and barely got to introduce everyone, but there were clearly more important things to do than exchanging pleasantries. Although Thomas still insisted that under different circumstances, he’d obviously be a much better host than he could offer at the moment. His attempt to diffuse the tension a little like that probably was more to play down his own anxiety and Strand was so stressed out that he could only manage a half-hearted smile at the comment. 

Mostly he was glad that Daniel seemed to know exactly what he was doing and also Maddie kept a level head, because Victor was completely lost and out of it. All he could do was holding Tom’s hand and lay him down onto the dining room table, because that’s where they decided to do the operation, since the lighting was best there. To make him a little more comfortable, he propped a pillow underneath his head and then let his hand tangle in Thomas’ hair for a moment. 

“Here, I guess we’ll need that”, Nick handed them two bottles of hard liquor that obviously came from Thomas’ possession, but Victor wasn’t even surprised anymore by now. Nick was practical like that, he didn’t just see things, he observed them, took them in and then acted on this new information. 

“Do you have any anesthesia around, anything else than booze to numb the pain?” Madison wanted to know, but Thomas only shook his head.

“You’re Madison, right? I’m sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances…” he offered sounding truly apologetically. 

“It’s all good. You’ll be okay”, she returned with an encouraging smile that couldn’t quite hide her tautness though. 

“He’ll be fine”, she also repeated directed to Strand in order to calm him down and pressed his shoulder lightly. He only nodded in acknowledgement, because he felt like he’d be sick if he opened his mouth right now. 

“This is going to hurt”, Tom said, matter-of-factly, he wasn’t a fool after all. They all knew that it wouldn’t be pleasant at all, quite on the contrary, but it was necessary, it was his only chance. 

“I’ll be with you the whole time”, Victor said and squeezed his hand tightly. He couldn’t stand seeing his husband like this, this sight was heart-wrenching and he could barely hold back his tears. But he wasn’t the one who’d be losing a limb, or possibly even his life, if this didn’t work out like planned… 

“It’s okay, we’re all here to help”, Travis proposed and put down all the towels that he had found. 

Enrique, one of the farmers, had brought some packs of bandages that they kept around, but that was all they had to work with. And also a hunting knife, for obvious reasons that Strand didn’t even want to think about too precisely because it made him sick to the guts and a cold shiver run down his spine. 

“The kids shouldn’t be seeing this”, Maddie meant and made Alicia and Chris leave the room together with Ofelia, but Nick didn’t follow them. 

“You gonna be okay, man?” Nick asked and Strand nodded with tears burning in his eyes. He didn’t want to see Thomas hurting like this, it made him physically ache as well to know what kind of pain he’d have to endure. But he couldn’t just leave him alone in a situation like that, he never would. 

“I have to be”, he just gave back. 

“You don’t have to stay for me if you…you don’t have to see this. Madison will be here, and Travis…and Daniel will –“, Tom started in another one of his self-sacrificing moments, but of course Victor wouldn’t have any of that.

“Shut up, Thomas. I’m not going to leave you now. You’re not getting rid of me that easily”, Strand disrupted him and he wanted to sound angry, but he couldn’t. Not when he could possibly lose the man he loved. So he had to be strong, he had to stay positive even when his voice was coated with tears. 

“I’m staying, too. You’ll need any help you can get”, Nick decided then and strangely enough, Madison didn’t argue on it for once. Maybe because she knew that this wouldn’t be easy and that Nick was right. 

The whole procedure took longer than expected and it were the most horrible minutes Strand ever had to suffer in his entire life. They had to hold Tom down, three of them at once, until the moment he stopped moving and just passed out from pain. Victor knew that this was a completely normal bodily reaction to this kind of shock, but nevertheless he panicked and Nick had to calm him down. He made him take a few gulps of vodka while Daniel and Travis were still working on Tom’s arm. 

There was blood everywhere and his view was clouded and fuzzy from all the tears. He couldn’t watch the two men operating, so he just laid his head down, nuzzling into Thomas’ side where he could press his ear to his chest and hear his heart beat. To make sure the beats were uniform and he was still alive. Actually it calmed him down a little, just knowing Tom was here with him. And he would also still be with him when this was over. Because he’d recover again and then they’d be fine. They were safe here now without the walkers being around anymore. Tom would get well soon and they could just hide out here, they had everything they needed. Baja was a perfect place and they’d make sure that it stayed that way. They’d take care of that together, when Thomas was better…


End file.
